Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-11-30
Union Services.

IL ne l nlEersallst ana Unitarian PARISHES
united in having religious services Thanks
giving day, in the Unitarian Church, at the
usual morning hour in which the pastors
joined. Reading of the Scriptures and pray
er by Rev. Mr.. Thatcher. Rev. w. II. Whit
man, pastor of the Universalist Church
preached an able and admirably written ser
mon on The Problems of theDay, of which
the following is an abstract:
Text. For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places Eph. Gig.
ST Paul does not glass over the evil of his
day, but be stigmatzes it as the one terrific
foe which stands opposed to Christ's king
dom Every age and nation presents differ
ent aspects of this interminable conflict be
tween good and evil. We, in this age, have
different problems to solve from those of our
fathers time--more complex and difficult.
This age and this nation are confronted by
grave difficulties and perils.
A mighty tide of immigration is continually
sweeping in upon us. They come from every
race and climc---half million year. They
do not, as a rule, understand our language,
nor our customs, nor our institutions, nor our
laws. Neither do they sympathize with our
religion They tend to swell the large num-
Der of illterate waters which swarm our
large cities. Our free institutions can only
be maintained by keeping the average intelli-
gence and virtue of its citizens up to a GER
tain level. There are great advantages to be
derived from immigration. But it is of in
dispensable Importance that this mass of for
eign population be assimilated and American
lied before it shall foreignze us
The Mormon problem is rising into promi-
nence. Mormonism is more than social
vice it is vigorous hierarchy, political and
religious. 1t controls one territory and
threatens to gain the ascendancy in several
others. Its growth has been very rapid in
the past decade. 1t employs more foreign
missionaries than the American Board. The
utmost wisdom is required TO check this mon
strous evil in its infancy. ere it shall attain
such growth as to deluge this nation in blood.
This nation has enjoyed a wonderful degree
of material prosperity for two decades. And
We have witnessed an unparalleled concentra-
ton of wealth in the hands of few. We
see labor growing restless, organizing itself,
and half inclined to be revolutionary. 1t
feels keenly its wrongs which it knows not
how to right. The breach is all the while
widening between labor and capital. How to
adjust the growing difference and to allay
the growing animosity between labor aud
capital is one of the great problems of the
dav There is a great need that the Christian
mind and heart be applied more assiduously
to the labor problem.
Socialism is growing in this country more
rapidly than the population. Not the more
moderate wing, but the radical anarchists
'.who would see society RACED to its very
foun iation" 1t is their avowed purpose to
foment discomfort among working men and
finally, when they shall become strong enough,
to rise in arms and overthrow by violence the
present order of things. 1t is estimated that
there are one hundred thousand men in this
country to-day whose luminosity against all
existing social institutions is hardly less than
boundess. We need to study the industrial
problem anew and bring to bear upon ii all
the light and all the heart and all the power
of our Christian civilization.
Not half has ever been told of the misery
that flows from the liquor saloons. The
devoters of the liquor traffic were never more
rampant and defiant than to-day. They con-
troll most of our large cities, dictate the
policy and rule the politics of many of our
States There is "liquor vote which can
be thrown solid when occasion requires.
There needs be a wave of moral conviction
and intense earnestness sweep over the land,
to bring the conscience of the nation to bear
against the saloon as it was once brought to
bear against slavery.
We must rely mainly upon the silent
forces which are being generated in the
home, in the school, in the church From
these must proceed the moral, the spiritual
and the intelligent force that shall be able TO
cope with and overcome all these powers of
darkness This is no time for the relaxing
of interest in churches and schools There
are the great bulwarks of the nation to save
it in its impending hour of peril.